Ashes
by Sweet Cari
Summary: AU. With the passing of four years, life for T.K. had never been better, or so he thought...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Just the AU.

**Ashes**

_Prologue_

Lying comfortably in the canopy bed, she felt restless. She tossed and turned but it was useless. Her body was sending messages to her overwhelmed brain to relax but her mind wouldn't take them.

Giving up the urge to sleep, the young woman laid awake, watching the silver moon creep silently through the night, with the stars speckling the ebony sky from outside the window of the room.

_Nature…an eternal cycle…like love…_

She then turned her eyes to back to the bed, gazing at the person lying next to her in deep sleep.

Her husband.

They had known each other since high school and had married just last year. To their friends, they seemed like the perfect couple. The pair also got along pretty well but there was something that didn't feel right to the young wife.

And she was beginning to have second thoughts about her choice. Mainly self-doubt.

And it was this self-doubt that was keeping her from her dreams.

A faint sound broke her from these thoughts; getting up from the bed, she cautiously made her way to a nearby crib. There, she slowly lifted the infant out of the crib and began to rock him back and forth gently, humming soft melodies to soothing him back to sleep.

_He looks so much like his father, _she thought, placing her newborn son back in his crib. She stood there for a few minutes, watching the tiny boy sleep peacefully as the moonlight shined its pale rays upon him.

Yawning tiredly, she returned to bed, settling her head into the soft caress of the pillow, while the bed sheets and blankets embraced her slender form.

The desire for sleep had finally won the battle, but not before she gave one final thought:

_Why do I feel so unsure of myself? I guess I'm just nervous about this new life I'm about to have…_

**Five years later**

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! I thought that you actually cared for me, but I was blind for too long until now, I finally see you for what you truly are…"

The woman turned and angrily left the living room before her husband could speak, not even looking back at him.

As she made her way through the hallway in a huff, her eyes fell upon the frightened face of her son, hiding in the shadows near the door of his room.

"M-mommy? What's going on? I-is Daddy in trouble?"

The young lady sighed sadly as she began to explain to the young boy.

"Sweetheart, I'm afraid that your father and I are just not getting along the way we used to,"

"W-what do you mean?"

"We...don't want to live with each other anymore, so we're getting a divorce…" she said, tearing her eyes away from the child's gaze.

"How come?" questioned the boy, his voice quivering with confusion.

The mother did not reply, instead she wrapped her arms around her five-year-old son, holding him in a gentle embrace, shedding silent tears of remorse.

The next day, she filed for divorce, and later won the custody battle for her child, leaving the courtroom and a stunned ex-husband. As she proceeded to drive away from out of the parking lot, she saw her ex's reflection in her rear-view mirror, standing outside the court doors, his handsome features contorted in an insatiable rage, his eyes gleaming like a wildfire ready to lose control.

"Mark my words…woman…you will **pay** for doing this to me…" he sneered.

She shuddered, and quickly drove away with her young son in tow.

Three years had past since then, the family of two had moved to a city near Odaiba, far from their old home.

Seeing her son smile always brought her joy, still, she couldn't help but feel lonely.

This began to affect her job, since her feelings of melancholy kept her from focusing on work to which one of her coworkers began to take notice one day.

"Is something wrong?"

The voice broke her out of her dazed state, and she found herself looking up at a tall, gruff-looking man, his eyes shining with concern.

"Um…n-no," she answered back hastily, "i-it's nothing..."

The man was not convinced.

"I understand that you're a newcomer around here, but if you keep this up-"

"If you don't mind, sir," she said firmly, moving out of his way, "I'd like to get back to my writing."

He scowled at her smart remark, and reluctantly returned to his work station.

…

"Aren't you planning on going home?"

The man turned around, quite surprised to see the woman he was speaking to earlier that morning, she seemed worried about him this time.

"No," he replied, "There's nothing to do at home, then just sleep, since I work here until late anyway…"

"You mean, you…live alone?" she asked.

"Pretty much." came the honest reply.

She paused.

_He feels the same way I do…_

"Say," he said, breaking the growing awkward silence between them, "I don't think I quite caught your name, since you started working here…"

"Nancy Takaishi." she said, "and you are..?"

"Hiroaki Ishida."

"Nice to meet you."

She then took a quick glance at the clock mounted on the wall, and gasped.

"Oh no! I forgot to pickup my son, T.K. from school!"

Nancy then grabbed her purse and light jacket and hurried out of the room.

_How could I let time slip by me like that? And what was that guy driving at anyway?_

-To be continued…


	2. Spark

Author's Note: I originally wanted to post this chapter earlier, but I didn't have the time. Also, I won't be able to update the story for now because today, my family will be out of town for New Years visiting relatives. Big thanks for those who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I owe nothing but the plot.

**Ashes**

_Spark_

"You're late," groaned T.K. as the pair entered their apartment, "Did they give you too much work to do, Mom?

Nancy sighed, "You could say something like that,"

Later that evening, while they were eating supper, T.K. asked,

"Um..Mommy?"

"What is it dear?"

"Do you think Dad has forgotten about us?"

Nancy froze at the mention of her ex but managed to keep a cool façade so her son wouldn't be alarmed by her change in behavior.

She bit her lip, upon the lingering memories that were etched into her brain, and how she just barely managed to escape him.

But T.K. was too young to remember much of his father…in a way, it had protected him from what was **really **going on…unaware of the secret…

Should she tell him the truth? Was he ready to handle it? More so, would he believe her?

"Mom?"

Hearing her son's voice snapped Nancy out of her strained thoughts, and she quickly answered,

"I'm…not…sure…"

…

Hiroaki came through the door after having some trouble with the lock, and walked through and around clothes and papers scattered everywhere.

By now, it was terribly late, probably sometime after midnight when he returned to his apartment.

Not even bothering to turn on the lights, he made his way through the darkened hallway, threw off his shoes and almost stumbled into his bedroom.

Finally plopping onto the bed in exhaustion, Hiroaki thought about his overall life as a bachelor.

_I just __**had **__to follow my father's advice! _He thought bitterly, _Because of that, my job has taken over my life! I turned down every opportunity that was given to me and I missed out on finding love!_

_Love… _Repeating the word in his head, he placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heart pulse in a steady rhythm.

_Is it too late…or do I still have a chance?_

As Hiroaki slowly began to doze, and a sudden feeling of warmth and comfort flowed through him, relaxing his tired body into a peaceful slumber.

…

Months passed after the Takaishis moved near Odaiba and T.K. was starting to notice an unusual change in his mother:

Her tardiness in picking him up from school was becoming more frequent and she was constantly sidetracked or daydreaming.

It was starting to annoy him a bit. Whatever was wrong with his mother was clearly not going away.

And she was also getting worse.

Then one evening, as he watched Nancy examine her appearance in a compact mirror, the boy's curiosity got the better of him.

"Mom, where are you going?"

"I'm getting ready to go on a date, sweetheart," she replied, putting the compact back into her purse, "I guess should have told you earlier…"

T.K. raised an eyebrow, "Who is it?"

"One of the guys whom I work with at the T.V. station," Nancy answered with a smile but she suddenly frowned when she saw the discomfort gleaming in T.K.'s blue eyes.

Sighing softly, she bent down to her son's eye level.

"I won't be gone long," she assured, "I'll be back soon,"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Giving T.K. a quick hug, Nancy stood up and headed out the front door, leaving the small blonde alone with only his thoughts to keep him company.

…

That August, he was sent off to summer camp where he was suddenly sent to a land know as the Digital World, T.K. and five other kids somewhat older than him, partnered with creatures known as Digimon.

After spending what seemed like months in this strange area, T.K. was beginning to feel very homesick, as he remembered the surprise his mother had showed him.

*Flashback*

T.K. was playing with an old video game in his room when he heard Nancy calling for him.

When the boy came into the living room, he was quite startled to see another man seated beside her on couch, but she didn't show any signs of hesistance.

"Hiroaki," Nancy said to the man, "this is my son, T.K."

"Hello, little guy," Hiroaki said with a grin as he patted the eight-year old on the head.

T.K. swatted his hand away in disgust.

"Mom, why is **he **here?"

" T.K., I have very good news for you," Nancy said, "We're going to become a family again!"

"You mean," T.K. said, his eyes lighting up with excitement, "Daddy's gonna live with us again?"

"No, dear," Nancy answered, "Hiroaki will soon be joining us as part of the family."

T.K. was stunned by her words.

He could only watch in horror as his mother gaze lovingly into Hiroaki's brown eyes.

Feelings of hurt, anger, and betrayal began to mix and boil inside him as hot tears began to run down his cheeks and just as the pair were about to steal a kiss, he snapped.

"I **HATE** YOU MOM!"

The couple was thrown off guard by the boy's sudden outburst.

"T.K., what are you say-"

"WHEN DADDY WAS HERE, WE WERE ALWAYS HAPPY!" T.K. shouted, "NOW DADDY WILL NEVER COME BACK!"

He then angrily glared up at the man who had stolen his mother's love for his father away from her.

"A-and you are **not **getting into this f-family!"

T.K. turned and ran out of the living room, angry sobs racking his tiny body as he slammed the door of his room behind him.

*Flashback*

The blonde boy hung his head in guilt as his cruel words echoed through his head.

Despite his claims, Nancy and Hiroaki wed, changing T.K. and his mother's last name to Ishida. He then moved out of his old apartment and moved in with his new wife and stepson. Although Hiroaki was kind to him, T.K. refused to accept him as his stepfather, or in Nancy's case, his new father.

_Mr. Hiroaki is not my dad! And he never will be! _

"T.K., is something bugging you?"

Startled by the voice, he looked up to see two of his friends, Tai and Sora, looking worried.

"I-it's nothing," T.K. answered, shifting his gaze to the ground.

"Come on, T.K.," Tai said, "you can tell us..."

"That's right," added Sora, "and we'll try to help."

"Well," T.K. said, "My mom just got married to another guy…but I don't like him…"

"Is he mean to you?" asked Tai.

"No, he's actually very nice to me…"

"Then what's wrong?"

"My mom got a divorce from my real dad," T.K. explained, "and I always hoped that they would get back together again…but now Mom's with Mr. Hiroaki…she's probably forgotten all about Dad…"

"Maybe you should give Hiroaki a chance, T.K.," suggested Sora, "That was the mistake I made with my mom, but when we go home, I'll give Mom the chance she never got!"

Tai nodded with agreement, "Yeah! It's never too late, Buddy! You can still get along with your stepdad!"

T.K. smiled, "Thanks guys."

-To be continued…


	3. Ignition

Author's Note: I apologize for this one being very late but I hope it's worthwhile!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon…

**Ashes**

_Ignition_

As promised and shortly after his adventure in saving the Digital World and defeating the Dark Masters, T.K. began to act more kind towards his stepfather.

And with the passing of four years, life for T.K. had never been better. At school, he became the star of his basketball team and he, along with his childhood friend, Kari, formed a new generation of Digidestined of protecting the Digital World along with three other kids; Davis, Yolei, and Cody.

But none of it would prepare him for what was yet to come.

…

The rain came on suddenly but it wasn't coming down in sheets yet. The water droplets went 'plip' as they fell upon the cement pavement.

"Oh, man, I should've been home hours ago!" T.K. muttered as he ran through the rain.

The blonde had spent too much time with his basketball practice and now was running terribly late.

He took a glance at his watch, hoping that the time was wrong but to no avail.

Sighing in defeat, he stopped at a crossing zone.

As he waited for it to turn green and say 'Walk', he noticed a blue car drive up the road and to his surprise, the car pulled up right beside him.

The window of the driver's seat slowly lowered and T.K. found himself face to face with the driver.

"What's wrong, boy?" asked the man, "Are you lost?"

T.K. didn't answer.

There was something oddly _familiar_ about the man, but T.K. couldn't place it.

"Don't you recognize me, _T.K._?"

T.K. gasped in shock as realization started to sink in for now he knew the identity of the man in the car.

"D-dad? Is it really?"

"Yes it is, son," replied the older man, "Do you want a ride home?"

...

The drive now had been slowed by the rain fiercely coming down in sheets, with the tires sloshing with resistance against the flowing waters but continued on effortlessly.

For a long time, T.K. was silent in backseat of the car, while the rain beat rhythmically against the windows in tune with many thoughts floating around in his mind until his father spoke,

"Son, do you still think about me?"

"Of course I do!" the blonde answered quickly, "When I was a little kid, I kept hoping that you and Mom would get back together again…" then anger began to simmer as T.K. remembered how it was all shattered, "then _he _came…"

His father's eyes narrowed, "He?"

"Mom married another man," T.K. said, looking down at the floorboards avoiding his father's shocked expression.

"I see…"

T.K. then focused his gaze outside the windows and recognized the setting.

"This is the place, Dad!" he said as he got out of the car, "Bye and thanks for taking me home!"

"Anytime, T.K." his dad said as he drove away, "_Anytime._"

…

"I'm home, Mom! I'm sorry about being late, I just-"

He stopped when he didn't hear her respond.

"Mom?"

T.K. called out again.

"Mom!"

Growing uneasy, T.K. began to search the apartment but it didn't long for him to find her.

She was in her bedroom, sitting up in bed, awake but oddly tired.

"What's wrong, Mom?" T.K. asked as he slowly approached the bedside, "Are you okay? Y-you're not sick are you?"

"I'm fine, dear," Nancy said smiling gently which confused the boy, and then she placed a hand on her stomach.

"You're going to be a big brother soon, T.K."

T.K.'s blue eyes widened with surprise.

"Y-you mean you're…you're-"

Nancy nodded her head.

"NO! YOU CAN'T BE! W-WHAT ABOUT DAD?"

The woman was taken aback by her son's unexpected outburst, shocked by his words but managed to stay calm.

"Your father and I have gone through with the divorce. It's final now. We're not getting back together."

"WHY?" T.K. angrily demanded, "WHY DID YOU LEAVE HIM?"

Nancy did not answer.

"TELL ME!"

She sighed heavily, and answered saying, "I had reasons to leave your father."

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE!" the blonde snarled, turning away from his mother before she could say another word.

As he angrily left the bedroom, he took off his white bucket hat and threw it on the floor, stepping on it.

"I wish you never met Hiroaki." T.K. growled through bared teeth, "He ruined everything."

At that very moment, Hiroaki entered the apartment but T.K. didn't even notice him as stomped past the man as he headed into his room and slamming the door.

"What's the matter with T.K.?" he asked, "Did you tell him that you're-"

"I did," answered Nancy, hanging her head.

"I don't understand. He should be happy about the baby coming," Hiroaki said as he entered the bedroom, sitting beside his wife and then had a sudden thought.

"T.K.'s still upset about you divorcing _him _isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Why haven't you told him yet?"

"Because Hiroaki, I just don't think that he's ready to face the truth."

"He will be when the right time comes," Hiroaki assured, "T.K.'s a strong boy. He can handle learning the truth."

"I hope you're right."

…

Days passed with T.K. growing more irate each day. At home, he refused to speak with his parents and in the Digital World; he would bite the other's heads off when things went wrong.

"What's wrong with you, T.A.?" snapped Davis after T.K. gave him a harsh tongue lashing, "It's not like you to yell at people just because they made a little mistake!"

"Davis is right for once, T.K." added Yolei, much to everyone's surprise, "None of us here really like the new you."

"Well, get used to it." the blonde sneered.

Just as Yolei was about to give T.K. a piece of her mind, a high-pitched shriek filled the air followed by sinister laughter.

"The Digimon Emperor." Cody muttered darkly as the boy king appeared riding on top an Airdramon, accompanied by a caterpillar-like Digimon called Wormmon.

"I knew you little insects would come here," The emperor said, staring coldy at the Digidestined and their partners.

"Why don't you come down here and fight like a man!" Davis shouted.

"Yeah!" Veemon added.

Ken was unfazed by the goggleboy's challenge, "I'm sorry but why don't you try picking on someone who's **ten** times your size!"

With the snap of his fingers, two enslaved Kuwagamon arrived at his command.

"Try squashing those bugs." He snickered as he flew away.

"Ready guys?"

With a confirmed nod from their digimon, the Digidestined held out their D3s.

"Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Veemon armor digivolve to…Flamedramon, the fire of courage!"

"Hawkmon armor digivolve to…Halsemon, the wings of love!"

"Armadillomon armor digivolve to…Digmon, the drill of knowledge!"

"Gatomon armor digivolve to…Nefertimon, the angel of light!"

The Digimon charged at the Kuwagamon, but one of them had not joined the fray.

"What's the matter, Patamon? Why haven't you armor digivolved!" demanded a frustrated T.K.

"I can't," protested the bat-like Digimon sheepishly, "Something's not working…"

T.K. tried again but still Patamon showed no signs of change.

"Come on, you stupid piece of junk! Work!" T.K. yelled in an agitated tone as he began tinkering with the buttons on his D3.

"WATCH OUT! T.K.!" cried Kari from atop Nefertimon.

He turned and saw one of the Kuwagamon flying straight towards him and Patamon at an alarming speed. Just as T.K. thought it was the end for him and his partner, Flamedramon stepped in front of them and fire rocketed head on, effectively blinding the ferocious insect.

The battle was soon over with the combined efforts of the Digimon, and the Kuwagamon were freed.

As the Digidestined left the Digital World with their Digimon and returned the Real World, going home but Kari stopped T.K. as the other three were out of sight.

"Can I discuss something with you, T.K.?" she asked.

"Sure. What's it about?"

Kari rolled her eyes. "It's about how you've been acting ever since you told us your mom was pregnant."

T.K.'s expression turned sour.

"And it's also about why your D3 is not working. I believe there is a connection."

"What kind of connection?" the blonde grumbled.

"Well," Kari stated, "it's a possible connection with your crest. My brother Tai told me that when he first received his crest, he became overeager about having Agumon digivolve and practically overstuffed him. Then, Tai recklessly threw himself in danger to make his crest work but Agumon became Skullgreymon instead."

"Yeah, I remember that," he said, readjusting his backpack, "but what does that have anything to do with Patamon's digivolving problem?"

"Think about it, T.K." Kari said sternly, "You have the Crest of Hope but the hope you possess now is a kind of _selfish hope_."

"W-what do you mean by 'selfish hope'?"

"The hope that you have in your heart now is selfishness because you're only thinking about yourself." explained Kari, "You keep clinging to the belief that your father and mother will remarry and are unable to let go of it. As a result, your D3 refuses to function due to your incorrect display of hope."

When she finished speaking, the short-haired brunette turned and walked away but not before saying,

"If you keep going like this, you'll become as cruel as the Digimon Emperor."

Those last few words left T.K. stunned and speechless, as they echoed throughout his mind as well as his heart.

-To be continued…


	4. Scorch

**Ashes**

_Scorch_

"Well, looks like everyone's all here!"

"Have you had your eyes checked, Goggle Brains?" Yolei said sarcastically, "Who do you think is not here?"

Davis groaned, "T.K.'s not here again?"

"I'm afraid so." Kari sighed.

"Can't we just go without him?" asked Davis, "I mean, we went to the Digital World without Yolei that one time,"

"Hey!" Yolei shouted as she stood up in anger, "I chose not to go! But I'm still a member!"

"But we need T.K.!" protested Cody, "He's a valuable member of our team!"

"So I'm not an important teammate?" Yolei questioned, glaring at Cody.

Davis opened his mouth to speak, but the right words wouldn't come, so hanging his head in defeat, "Calm down, Yolei, he didn't mean it like that. Let's wait for him."

So, the quartet sat and waited five minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

When half an hour passed, Yolei was growing impatient.

"URGH! Where **is** that T.K.?" she complained, raising her arms up in frustration, "He was supposed to meet us here in the computer lab right after school!"

"Maybe your whining is keeping T.J. away." Davis joked, earning a death-glare from the violet-haired girl.

"It could be that he had to go home early and forgot to tell us." suggested Cody.

"No," stated Kari, "that isn't like T.K. at all."

She turned her gaze to the door, and suddenly became startled to see the shadow of a figure from the door's glass window, hurrying across the hallway.

"That was T.K.!" she cried.

"W-where is he going?" Cody asked,

"Come on," the goggle boy said, making his way to the door, "Let's follow him!"

"And find out where he's been sneaking off to!" added Yolei.

The four quietly left the computer room, and began trailing behind the blonde from a short distance.

T.K. stopped shortly near the entrance to catch his breath, then looking around for a moment, made his way through the front doors of the school.

As soon as T.K. left the building, the others came into the main hall, and opened the doors slightly ajar, and poked their heads outside.

There, the Digidestined saw their friend standing on the sidewalk, beside a blue car and to their surprise, a man with blonde hair came out of the car and began to speak to T.K.

"Why is T.K. talking to that guy?" whispered Yolei, "He should know better than to-"

Kari shot her hand up, silencing the older girl, "Hold on a minute, there's some sort of connection between T.K. and that man."

The other three looked closer and saw the stranger was talking to T.K. in pleasant manner with the younger boy doing the same.

"You're right, Kari!" exclaimed Davis, "Do you think that he's his cousin?"

"No," answered the brunette, "I think that he's T.K.'s father."

Cody watched on confused, "If that's his father then why did his mom divorce him? T.K. seemed really close to him…"

Yolei nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he seems like a nice person; maybe T.K.'s mother really was the bad guy for taking him away from his father."

Hearing the sound of an engine cranking, they turned to see the blonde get into the car with his dad and drive off into the distance.

"Do you guys think we should call his mom?" Cody asked, worried.

"No, T.K. probably made up some story about coming home late." Davis stated.

"I guess the only thing we can do now," Kari said, as a cool wind brushed against her face, "Is to wait."

…

"So, where are we going today, Dad?" T.K. asked excitedly.

"To a basketball game not too far from here."

The Bearer of Hope was silent for the majority of the drive as he sat in the passenger seat next to his dad. He began to think about how life was for him before the divorce. Although his memories were few, T.K. could recall that his parents did love him as well as each other; that is, until the last day that they were a family.

_If they really loved each other, why did Mom leave Dad and take me with her?_

Then, T.K. remembered what Nancy said to him that day when he viciously yelled at her to know why she left Dad after learning about her pregnancy.

"_Your father and I have gone through with the divorce. It's final now. We're not getting back together."_

"_I had reasons to leave your father."_

He clenched his fists angrily.

_Since __**she**__ won't tell me why, _T.K. thought, _then Dad will!_

"Umm..Dad?"

"What is it, T.K.?"

"Can you tell me why Mom divorced you?"

The older man looked surprised, "Why hasn't she said anything about it to you?"

"She refused tell me," T.K. answered bitterly, "She obviously thinks I'm too young to know what happened."

"Well then, son," his father said, "I believe that you're ready to for what I'm about to tell you."

"I am!" replied T.K., "Tell me everything!"

"I loved your mother so much and thought the world of her," the man said, "but unfortunately she didn't feel the same as I did. She merely brushed off my feelings of affection. As the years passed, her love for me started to die and I desperately tried to secure our marriage for your sake, T.K. But she refused to reason with me and filed divorce taking you away from me as well as cutting off all bonds with me for _seven long years_. You see, son, your mother was the cause of the divorce, not you, if that's what you were thinking. I think the reason why she never talked about it was because she didn't want you to see her as the bad guy."

He then pulled the car up into the parking lot of the basketball stadium.

"Well, here we are."

As the two got out from the vehicle, T.K.'s father asked,

"Do you believe everything that I told you?"

"Yes." the blonde answered sternly, "I believe every word."

"That's a good boy," his dad said, wrapping his arm around his son's shoulder, pulling him closer to him as a gleam of success shone in his eyes.

_Everything's fallen right into place, if I just keep making the right moves, I'll have my eyes on the __**prize**_.

-To be continued…


	5. Smolder

**Ashes**

_Smolder_

T.K. continued to meet up with his father after school for many months. While T.K.'s bond with his father grew, the other four Digidestined succeeded in thwarting the Digimon Emperor and converted him into their group after Ken atoned for his deeds as Emperor.

Soon after, winter came, sprinkling the ground with a cold frost and giving the air a chilling bite.

T.K. sat by the window of his apartment watching the people below rush to and from the nearby stores and malls to buy gifts for their loved ones.

The Christmas season had been somewhat of a lonely time for T.K., since all of his friends had both their parents together to celebrate with, minus Cody, whose father passed away before the boy could even remember him. He couldn't help but feel jealous despite that Hiroaki was merely his stepfather.

Just then, the telephone rang.

Upon hearing the first ring, T.K. immediately got up and answered it.

"Hello?"

A kind voice answered back, "Hi, T.K.!"

"Hey Kari, how are you?"

"Fine, I'm having a Christmas get-together at my apartment with Davis and the others, do you want to come?"

"Sure!" T.K. replied, "When is it?"

"It's tomorrow at 3:15."

"I'll be there!" confirmed T.K., after saying goodbye to Kari, he hung up.

…

The next day, right at 3:00, the blonde quickly dressed into his winter clothes and hurried out the door.

He was less than a mile to the apartment where the Kamiyas lived when he saw his father's blue car head up the road where it suddenly stopped right beside him.

"Hey son," said his dad as he lowered the car window, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going over to see a friend," T.K. answered, "and I'm running late so I'm sorry but I have to-"

"You've got plenty of time," interrupted the older man, "Just hop in the car."

…

"It's 3:15," Kari said as turned her gaze from her five party guests to the living room's clock, "Where are you, T.K.?"

"Don't worry, Sis," assured Tai, "T.K. probably stopped somewhere to buy you guys a Christmas gift."

Yolei sighed, "This isn't the first time T.K. has been tardy, Tai."

Tai raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"Yeah," added Davis, "lately, T.J. thinks ditching us is more fun than saving the Digital World."

"That's not like T.K. at all," stated Tai, he turned to his sister, "What did he say to you on the phone yesterday?"

"He said he'd be there." Kari replied, "And from the sound of his voice, he was really looking forward to going to the party."

"Maybe we should try and call on his cell phone," Ken suggested, "It's worth a shot."

Kari nodded and picked up the phone quickly dialing T.K.'s cell phone number and waited.

One ring.

Two rings.

_Oh no. _

Three rings.

By the fourth ring, T.K.'s voice message came on but Kari hung up, with an expression of dread on her face.

"What is it, Kari? Was his phone turned off?" Tai asked, already fearing the answer.

"Tai," she said, "I think T.K.'s in trouble…"

…

Nancy was humming Christmas tunes as she sat in the computer room, typing out the recent news headlines when the sound of frantic knocking rang in her ears.

"Hang on, I'm coming!" she called out as the knocking continued.

Her back ached as she got up from her seat, but she forced herself to ignore the pain and left the room.

When she finally opened the door, she was surprised to see Tai, trying to speak in between breaths.

"Is there something wrong, Tai?"

"Hello, Mrs. Ishida, is T.K. home?" Tai asked panting heavily.

"No," Nancy replied, "I thought he went over to the party at your apartment. He told me yesterday he was going."

Before Tai could speak, the phone began ringing.

"Oh, don't worry, Tai," she said, "I'll answer it."

"Hello?"

No answer.

"Who is this?"

"Who do you think it is?" answered the voice.

Nancy was puzzled by the response.

"How long has it been since I last spoke to you, _Nancy Takaishi_?"

Her blue eyes widened in shock upon recognizing the voice of her ex husband, "You? H-how did you-?"

"That's not important right now," her ex said coldly, "Do you know where _our son _is?"

"What have you done to T.K.?" Nancy shouted into the phone, "If you've harmed him in any way, I'll…I'll"

"You'll what?" he mocked, "File for divorce? Move away?" Then he broke into horrible laughter.

"I'd told you would pay for breaking up with me, Nancy Ishida. For seven straight years, I've waited. Watched. And now, our son has become the perfect key to your surrender! You see, T.K. lied to you about going to basketball practice or meeting his little pals after school, all this time, he has been secretly seeing me! And with my help, I was able to turn T.K. against you and that 'chump' husband of yours!"

"Where's T.K.?" Nancy asked her tone very low.

"He's with me." He answered.

"I am not going to let you get away with this!" She said, gripping the phone tightly in her hand that the skin turned red.

"I already have, Nancy."

"What are you saying?"

"If you surrender to me as my wife," he said, "T.K. will not be harmed, but if you decide to be stubborn about it-"

"Don't you dare hurt my baby!" Nancy screamed but her ex was unfazed by her threat.

"The choice is yours."

All Nancy heard now was the disconnected beeping of the phone.

Tai stood speechless as he watched her slump into a nearby chair, burying her face in her hands.

Cautiously, the bushy-haired brunette approached her.

"M-mrs. Ishida?"

She heard him but did not acknowledge his presence.

"He has T.K.," she muttered, "My ex-husband has T.K."

"Nancy?"

They both looked up to see Hiroaki come in through the door.

"You're home early?"

"The boss let me out early since the holidays are coming up." explained Hiroaki, and then he noticed the anguish in his wife's eyes.

"What is it?"

"My ex called me," Nancy said, trembling all over, "and he's kidnapped T.K…and if I don't return to him as his, T.K. will be-"

Hiroaki was stunned.

She slowly rose from her chair, "I have to go…if I want to save T.K."

"Wait a minute, Nancy!" Hiroaki cried, grabbing her arm, "You can't go to that maniac!"

"But what about my son?" questioned Nancy, "I can't sit here and do nothing!"

"What about the baby?" stated Hiroaki, "He's called the apartment, he might try tracking you down. And if you leave and he sees that you're pregnant, he'll take your life and the baby's."

She paused and said, "You're right, dear, I shouldn't endanger the baby's safety, but how can I save T.K.?"

"Did he tell you where he was keeping him?" Hiroaki asked.

"No, but I haven't made any calls since then," she stated, "I was planning on calling the operator in hopes that they could trace it."

"After we do that, I'll call the police."

Hiroaki then turned to Tai, who was still standing there in the apartment.

"And Tai get backup from the others."

Tai nodded, understanding the message and left.

When the couple called the operator to trace the call, she said that it was made from a house located in a rural area cut off from the outskirts of the city.

Hiroaki then phoned the police and drove over accompanied by Nancy to the police station to get some more help.

"You will stay here at the station." Hiroaki said to her, "I'll go and save T.K."

"But it's me he wants not you!" protested Nancy, "And if anything happens to you or T.K., I'd never forgive myself…"

Hiroaki pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"You need to have hope," he whispered, "Believe that everything will be all right."

"I will."

Giving her a kiss, he left the station with a nearby police officer and drove away.

…

T.K. awoke lying on his stomach on a cold ground with his wrists and ankles bound with rope.

He tried desperately to remember what had happened before he blacked out but to no avail.

When he heard footsteps approaching his location, T.K. wriggled and squirmed trying to break free from his bonds.

"I'm afraid struggling won't do you any good." said a voice.

T.K. looked up to see his father watching him like a cobra ready to strike.

"Dad, w-why am I tied up? Help me out!"

Instead of helping, the man bent down to his son's level.

"Do you know why your mother divorced me?"

"Yes, but you told me, she was the reason why…" T.K. said.

"Now, that will be taken care of at last," the older man smiled, and started to get up, "with you as my prisoner, she'll have to come back to me and then we can be a family again."

"P-prisoner?" T.K. repeated, "I-I don't understand…D-dad wait!"

His father ignored him and left, shutting off the lights, leaving the boy in the dark.

…

"So, you guys all know the plan?" Tai asked both groups of Digidestined, except Mimi, who had moved to New York.

"Yeah, once we get our Digimon from the Digital World, we'll locate the signal coming from T.K.'s D3." Davis answered, "Then, we rescue T.K., while the cops take care of the rest."

With the others nodding in agreement, Davis focused his D3 at the computer and they disappeared into the screen.

…

T.K. hated being in the dark. It reminded him of everything he deemed as evil.

Mainly, it reminded him of Devimon, regardless T.K. needed to move on: Devimon was defeated and Patamon was safe…Patamon…

_I wish Patamon were here…_T.K. thought sadly, _and then I wouldn't be in this mess!_

T.K.'s thoughts turned to his friends and he recalled how cruel he acted towards them.

Would they even care that he was missing? After he treated them like trash?

Then he remembered what Kari said to him when she explained Patamon's digivolving problem.

"_If you keep going like this, you'll become as cruel as the Digimon Emperor." _

He recalled his mother and how he failed to appreciate her happiness with Hiroaki and how ignorant he was for not believing her reasons for the divorce.

Now he knew why she divorced his father: he was obsessive and deranged.

T.K.'s eyes began to fill with tears but he didn't care about stopping them as they flowed gently down his cheeks and onto the hard floor where he lay.

As he sobbed silently, he fell into listless sleep, becoming one with the darkness.

-To be continued…


	6. Singe

**Ashes**

_Singe_

T.K.'s father slowly opened the door to a crack, watching his son lie asleep in the darkness.

_Don't worry T.K.; _he thought, _soon,_ _everything will be as it was before…_

He closed the door of his son's prison, with his back pressed against it.

_You were mine before, Nancy, but this time, I am determined to __**keep**__ you as mine! I won't let you or T.K. ever escape me again! _

_But, if Mr. Hiroaki Ishida decides to intervene, _he then moved away from the door, and walked into a nearby room, towards a wooden drawer and opened it.

_I'll see to it that he receives a __**hero's welcome**__._

…

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Sir, we're doing the best we can," answered the police officer, "but this area is practically unknown on the map."

Hiroaki didn't respond. The long, drive to the location was making him grow tense and anxious.

_This man has caused Nancy so much torment, and now T.K. has to suffer as well!_

Then, the police car suddenly took a sharp curve onto a gravel road, making the vehicle shake as the wheels startled Hiroaki out of his thoughts.

"W-why are we-"

"We're getting close."

…

After retrieving their Digimon from the Digital World, the Digidestined gathered near Highton View Terrace, since it was abandoned due to the Digimon fight years earlier.

"I've got T.K.'s signal!" Davis cried, looking at the screen of his D3.

"Nice work, Davis!" exclaimed Izzy, already typing furiously on his laptop, "Now I just need to type in the signal onto the city map to pinpoint T.K.'s exact location!"

After a couple of painstaking minutes of downloading, the computer screen completed the process.

"Got it!"

"Okay, you guys," Tai said, "Let's go!"

…

T.K. awoke from his sleep, seeing nothing but the pitch black of the darkness.

As he struggled to move, he felt sharp pain surge through his arms and legs because his body laid stiff for too long.

Wincing against the pain, T.K. continued to try to untangle himself from his bonds but it only tired him out.

He felt so helpless, what he said to Kari the day she was transported to the Dark Ocean, and the regret of not being there for her when she really needed him. Though he, along with Patamon and Gatomon were able to save her from that dimension, T.K. did not believe that his own rescue would be immediate.

Just as T.K. was about to doze off again, he heard it.

A sound coming from somewhere outside.

_It can't be! _He thought, _it must be Dad looking around the house, there's no one else-_

He heard it again, only this time it was closer and louder.

The blonde started to grow nervous, trying to locate where the noise was coming from but in the darkness, it seemed like it was coming from every direction.

Suddenly, a large hole opened up, and light poured into the room partially blinding T.K. in the process but as he narrowed his eyes against the brightness, he saw the outlined shadow and recognized it right away once the person approached him.

"D-Davis?"

"And Kari too," the goggle boy added, "Our Digimon were able to distract your dad from coming down here, so while Tai and the others kept lookout for your father, Digmon was able to drill a hole and we were able to find you."

"B-but," T.K. began as the pair began to untie him, "I-I didn't think-"

"You didn't think we'd save you?" Davis said, "You're our friend, T.K.! Sure, you acted like a jerk earlier but that doesn't matter now! What matters now is getting you out of here!"

Once T.K. was freed, the trio made their way to the opening of the house, but Kari suddenly tripped over some debris that was made from the hole.

Just as the two boys rushed up to help her, the door suddenly opened and T.K.'s father appeared, glaring menacingly at the two intruders.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SON!"

He pulled out a small gun from his pocket and charged at them.

"Davis, get Kari out of here!" T.K. cried, "I'll try to hold him off!"

Davis nodded hesitantly, "Okay. Just be careful…"

While Davis helped Kari get back up to her feet, T.K. ran towards his father, grabbing the barrel of the gun, trying to pry it from his dad's hands, allowing his friends to escape to safety.

"STOP FIGHTING ME, T.K.! THOSE TWO WERE TRYING TO TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME! DON'T LET ME SHOOT YOU! "

"NO! I WON'T!" T.K. yelled, struggling to maintain his grip on the pistol, "You lied to me about the divorce and you lied about Mom, but now, I see who you really are…"

The man clenched his teeth as similar words rang through his head.

Peering into his son's eyes, he saw it: anger and shame. The same feelings that once reflected in the eyes of his wife, the day she left him.

"And you are not my father…" T.K. said in a dark tone.

The minute those words were spoken; rage began to consume the man, giving him newfound strength.

He kicked the boy hard in the lower shin.

T.K. cried out in pain, losing his grip on the gun as he crumpled to the floor.

A fairly large bruise began to form, turning the skin a sickly blue color as it began to swell.

The older man loomed over T.K., watching him struggle to crawl away from him without inducing more pain on his injury.

His eyes glinted.

"I'm sorry that it had to be like this," he said sadly.

The boy looked up and froze in terror.

His father had pointed the gun directly at T.K.'s head.

"Don't worry, son," he said grinning heartlessly, "I'm only going _help_ you take away the _pain_."

As he slowly started to pull the trigger, a sudden shot of air struck the man in the chest, knocking him over as the gun flew out of his hand.

"I won't let you hurt T.K.!" shouted a little voice.

"Patamon!" T.K. cried out, as the Digimon flew in front of him and landed, standing his ground.

Scowling, the man lunged at the pair, but just as Patamon prepared another Boom Bubble, he suddenly ran out of energy.

"What's wrong, Patamon?" the blonde asked nervously.

"I'm losing power, T.K.," he answered, "the digivolving problem is taking its toll on me!"

_It's my fault Patamon can't digivolve…_T.K. thought angrily, _Kari was right. The hope I still have is 'selfish hope'! _

He turned to see Patamon biting the leg of the man's pants, but he ruthlessly kicked the orange Digimon aside without any effort.

Watching Patamon get hurt infuriated T.K., he slowly rose to his feet and tightening up his fist as ran at his dad in anger. But just as he got close enough to punch him, the older man struck him across the face, and tripped the boy, making him lose his balance with his head colliding on the hard ground, effectively knocking him out.

"You've been a very naughty boy, T.K." He said, as he went to pick up his gun, "This is your thanks for all that I've done for you: took you on drives, going to the stadium together, all that and this is how you repay your own father!"

He pointed the gun at his son's fallen form, aiming for the heart.

"Don't get too lonely," the man sneered, "your mother will be joining you too!"

Once again, he proceeded to pull the trigger, but a weird, yellow light started to glow. Turning back at the creature that he kicked earlier was also glowing in the same brilliance, engulfing the Digimon's tiny form.

"Patamon digivolve to…Angemon!"

He stood, mouth agape, staring in disbelief that the bat-winged Digimon had transformed into an angelic being. He held out his gun, aimed it at Angemon and fired. The bullets didn't seem to have any effect on the angel but he continued to shoot until he ran out of ammo.

Angemon turned and looked down at the man who had harmed T.K.

"You are truly a disgusting human. A real father loves and protects his children. But you didn't care for T.K.; instead you manipulated him to go against his friends and family and tortured him."

The humanoid Digimon then lifted the unconscious blonde off from the floor and held him gently in his arms.

"You're not even worth destroying…" Angemon said, flying out of the house. "I'll let the humans handle you."

Just as he tried to follow Angemon through the open hole, he was greeted by several police officers.

As the police arrested T.K.'s father, Angemon carried T.K. to where the remaining Digidestined and their Digimon were hiding. They were horrified when they saw the damaged body of their friend.

Joe came closer as Angemon placed his human partner easy onto the ground while Joe examined the younger boy's wounds.

"His left shin is severely bruised," Joe said, cringing as he spoke, "and there's a bump forming on his head from when he fell…if Patamon hadn't digivolved T.K. might have-"

"I can't believe that he digivolved!" said Yolei with surprise, turning to the angelic Digimon.

"Then that means, T.K.'s true hope has returned!" exclaimed Kari.

T.K. groaned as his eyes fluttered open.

"W-what happened?" He asked as he tried to sit up, looking at the faces of his friends for answers, and then he saw Angemon.

"Angemon, you..but..how…?"

"You had to let go of your selfishness," Angemon explained. "Now, my digivolving problem is over."

T.K. smiled at the news, but his smile quickly became a frown.

"Guys," he began, "thank you so much for saving me…and I'm really sorry about the way I've been treating all of you, could you forgive me?"

"We forgive you, T.K." Davis answered grinning, "I mean, we can't stay mad at you."

A person ran through the woods, calling out for T.K., and Angemon dedigivolved back into Patamon as the figure came closer.

It was Hiroaki.

"I'm so glad I found you!" Hiroaki said in between breaths. "Did he hurt any of you?"

Then his eyes fell upon T.K. And for a moment, their eyes were interlocked with the other.

"T.K.," he said, gently picking his stepson, "if I have gotten here sooner, you wouldn't have-"

"It's okay," the blonde whispered, "there's something I want to tell you…"

"What?"

"I love you….Dad…"

Hiroaki smiled warmly, "And I love you too...Son…"

He carried T.K. over to where various police cars were gathered, with the Digidestined following behind. Nancy was inside one of the cars and she quickly hurried out once she saw her husband and her son coming towards her.

After smothering T.K. in a tight hug, she said, "The police are sentencing my ex into an asylum, he kept raving madly as they were taking him out of the house."

T.K. lowered his head, and then in tears, he embraced his mother.

"I'm so sorry, Mom!" he said as his voice became choked with hiccups, "All this time, I never appreciated how you tried to protect me! I should have believed you! I…I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright, sweetheart," Nancy said gently, running her fingers through his blonde locks, "none of this was your fault…"

"But Mom," T.K. said, wiping his eyes, "I've learned now what truly makes a father…"

Turning to Hiroaki, he hugged his chest tightly as Hiroaki returned the hug.

Nancy smiled with tears in her eyes.

Now, they had become a family at last.

…

**Four years later**

"Wow! Is that what really happened?"

"Yep," said a sixteen-year old T.K., "All of it is true."

"Why does all the cool stuff happen to you!" the small child complained, unknowingly holding and squeezing Patamon a little too tight.

"Oh, don't worry," T.K. assured, "Cool stuff will happen to you one day."

"Really?"

"Really."

"When?"

"It'll happen when you least expect it to," answered T.K., "so how about getting some sleep."

The four-year old groaned, "Awww…can't you tell another story?"

"How about I tell you one tomorrow night," suggested T.K., "it's the one where the Digidestined and I defeated Apocalymon."

"Cool…"

T.K. tucked the toddler in, gently moving Patamon to the other side of the bed.

"Good night, T.K."

The blonde smiled watching his stepsibling slip into sleep.

Making his way to the door, he whispered,

"Good night, Matt."

-The End.


End file.
